Border Patrol Seizes Over 143 Pounds of Meth on I-15 in Temecula

TEMECULA, Calif.—A man was arrested by Border Patrol agents on Sunday afternoon for smuggling over 143 lbs. of meth on Interstate 15 in Temecula.

On Sept. 8th, at approximately 9:15 p.m., Border Patrol agents conducted a vehicle stop on a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup northbound on Interstate 15, near the Border Patrol checkpoint.

During the vehicle stop, one of the agents conducted an exterior search of the Ford F-150 with a Border Patrol K-9, resulting in an alert. The agents conducted a further search of the vehicle and discovered 33 bundles of methamphetamine stashed inside the wood paneling from the pickup’s stake bed.

The bundles of methamphetamine weighed 143.88 pounds and had an estimated street value of $330,640.

The driver, a 55-year-old United States Citizen, was placed under arrest. The narcotics were turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Bureau Southwest Task Force (DEA/SIB). The vehicle was seized by the U.S. Border Patrol.

Since October 1, 2018, Border Patrol agents in the San Diego Sector have seized 3,464 pounds of methamphetamine worth $7,967,200.